Soiled
by Inuyasha.SIT
Summary: Kagome runs home after another fight with Inuyasha. However, things are beginning to look up after the hanyou makes a decision. Can their new-found love survive when tragedy strikes? Rating for chapter 4. An edited version of that chapter is available
1. Chapter 1

Inuyasha watched as three figures made their way through the village in the twilight of dusk. It had been twenty long minutes since he had detected their scents, and their visual absence was starting to make him fidget with irritation (worry would have been closer to the mark). However, when he finally heard the laughter in their faint voices on the breeze, he had decided to hop up to his favorite branch (well, his second favorite branch, his favorite was on another tree) and watch them walk. 

He took in a deep breath as he leaned against the trunk, filling himself with their scents. He knew these people. He knew them well. He had been surprised when he came to the realization that he considered them friends. And they weren't the only ones. He had two more friends inside the hut sitting at the base of this tree. 

As their scents filled his senses, he almost unconsciously honed in on the one coming from the figure in the middle. Her scent was stronger than usual. That was probably why he had been able to smell them from so far away. Through his nose, he could almost see the perspiration dripping down her face. He smiled inwardly because of it, though his face didn't show it. He had so spent many years hiding away his emotions that he was barely, if at all, able to admit them even to himself. In spite of that, he still couldn't help feeling proud of his miko at how hard she was working. 

She had done that to him though, put cracks in his wall. It seemed she had that ability even from the moment she stepped out of the bone-eater's well three years ago. He remembered how clumsy she had been back then. It almost made her seem helpless. He still cringed when he remembered that he had tried to kill her, but now he admired her. She had become the glue that held his group of friends together. She was only human, but she still stood up to any demon they came across, and she tried so hard. More than that, she stood by him, a hanyou, even though he knew he didn't deserve it. She was so kind-hearted that she was able to see the good in any living thing, except maybe Naraku. 

He was the reason she was here, the reason they were all here, and the reason why she, Miroku and Kaede were walking in from the forest this late. About a month ago, when Naraku had all but disappeared off the face of the earth, Kagome had announced that she wanted to be able to do more than shoot a few arrows and touch a shard now and then, so she had decided that she wanted to be trained to increase her miko powers. 

Inuyasha was unsure of how he felt about this announcement. As a partner in the battle against Naraku, or even as a friend, he knew the idea of Kagome becoming stronger was a good one. But from that part of him he kept hidden deep inside that knew that she was much more to him than a friend, he felt a little hurt. Kagome was his, and he had promised to protect her. If she wanted to make herself stronger, he felt like it could only be because she didn't trust him.

"Then again, why should she," he had thought at the time, "She had almost died several times while under his 'protection.' He had let it happen. Then again, she had often put herself in those situations when he had told her to run, so perhaps if she trained up a bit, at least next time she wouldn't listen and run away, he wouldn't have to worry quite as much. On the other hand, he had promised her he wouldn't let anything hurt her, no matter what. He had promised himself."

So, with a low growl, he had spit out a rough, "Keh," and left it at that. The others, however, had been enthusiastic about the idea, and so she and Kaede-baba, and sometimes the houshi, had been out every day since to train. The first week had been rough, and she had come back exhausted and more than a little frustrated. But as time passed, she slowly came back less and less tired, and in higher and higher spirits. Now as he watched them near Kaede-baba's hut walking freely and laughing among one another, he knew she was improving greatly. He marveled at how fast she was improving as he once again felt a wave of pride wash over him, Kikyo had taken years to learn this stuff. 

It was these thoughts running through his head as Miroku and Kaede made their way into the hut, oblivious to his eyes on them. However, as Kagome hesitated and glanced up toward him his heart fell to see the sad expression that had come over her face. He wondered what could possibly be troubling her so much. Then as the thought struck him that she may have actually seen him and he was the one making her so sad, his heart fell lower still. 

"Hey," he snarled as he jumped down from the tree, "what's your problem?"

"What are ye talking about Inuyasha?"

"Not you baba, Kagome."

"If ye have a question for Lady Kagome, ye should simply ask her. There is no need to be rude to the rest of us."

"That's what I'm trying to do you old hag! Kagome, just answer the question."

"Inuyasha, don't be so rude. There's nothing wrong with me."

Inuyasha figured she would say that at first, so he kept pushing.

"What makes you think I'm upset?"

"I saw you. You were all happy and annoying with the houshi and baba, then you looked up and got all sad."

"Wha- no I didn't."

"I. saw. you. You looked right at me. Now what the hell did I do to make you mad at me?"

Kagome looked down and Inuyasha's ears twitched as she spoke in almost a whisper, "I didn't know you were up there."

"Ha! See, you are mad at me," Inuyasha said as though he had won some kind of point. He felt that he had cornered her now, and she would surely tell him what was wrong with her.

"I didn't say that! I just said I didn't know you were up there!"

Inuyasha was slightly taken aback by her exclamation. She was lying and he knew it. Their faces inches apart now, Inuyasha's eyes bored into Kagome's as though trying to see the secrets kept hidden behind them. Even as he did so, he couldn't help lingering a little longer than he normally would have to gaze into them. They were beautiful, and if he weren't careful, he could become lost in them forever. But when she did nothing else but stare back into his own eyes, he slumped back onto the floor and shoved his hands in the sleeves of his haori with nothing more than a, "Keh!"

The stillness hung in the air for several moments until, smack!

"Hentai!"

"But my dear Sango, the tension in the air was so thick that I could not stay afloat. I had to hold on to something!"

Sango opened her mouth as if to retort, but then suddenly tried to stifle a laugh. Inuyasha watched as laughter broke out among all of his companions, and began to wonder of the stress of the hunt was starting to affect their sanity. Soon though, the laughter died down and Miroku spoke once again.

"I have to say, Kagome, I'm very impressed with your level of improvement since the last time I came to train with you and Lady Kaede."

"I agree. Kagome, ye have been learning very well and very quickly."

Inuyasha saw Kagome blush at their praise, "Oh, um, thank you."

"Keh! I don't know why you wanna bother with this stuff. I said I'd protect you didn't I?"

"And that makes me a distraction doesn't it? Well I don't want to be. You, Miroku, Sango, Kirara and even Shippo all try so hard to fight, while I just have to sit in the background, point out shards and hope not to get killed. I want to be able to fight too."

"I don't see what good it's gonna do. Kikyo's the only miko strong enough to stand up to Naraku, and you're no where near as strong as her so it looks like I'm still gonna have to protect you doesn't it?"

Inuyasha didn't know why he'd said it. The second the words were out of his mouth, he wished he could take them back. The look of hurt that flashed across Kagome's face when he'd said them was almost too much for him to take. He wanted to run to her, grab her up in his arms and apologize until his voice ran out. He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him. He wanted to, but there was no way in hell he was actually going to do it, especially not in front of all these people. Instead, he just sat there with his arms in his sleeves.

"Oh."

Inuyasha felt his insides wince at her tiny remark.

"Um, I'm really tired, so I'm gonna go take a bath before I go to bed."

"Do you want me to go with you," Sango's voice was soft, but Inuyasha knew she was glaring daggers into his back.

"No, it's ok."

Kagome scooped up her backpack and left. Almost immediately those left in the hut exploded into different versions of, "Inuyasha, you idiot! How could you say something like that?"

"Will all of you just shut up," Inuyasha yelled at the group as he jumped up and out of the hut. It didn't take him long to track down Kagome, but he knew she must have ran by how far she had gotten.

"Hey! This isn't the way to the hot spring!"

"Inuyasha, what are you doing here?"

"Well I was gonna follow you to make sure you got there and back alright, but now that I tracked your scent here, I'm trying to find out just what the hell you think you're doing." Inuyasha was very surprised. That was the second time she had lied to him today, and it just wasn't like her.

"I'm going home, Inuyasha."

"Like hell you are." Now he was worried. She had planned to go home, and had lied about it to do so. Something must really be wrong with her, but he never got the chance to find out.

"SIT!"

Inuyasha almost cried when he heard the subjugation command, but not because of the pain he felt. Kagome's cry had been so full of pain and anguish it was making him crazy. The beads must have felt it too because they kept him on the ground a very long time. By the time he was finally able to stand back up, Miroku had come running up behind him.

"Inuyasha, we could hear that all the way to Lady Kaede's. I decided to come make sure all was alright." 

"I have to go get Kagome, something's not right. She's not just mad at me." Inuyasha knew Miroku would be able to hear the fear in his voice, but he couldn't muster up the strength to care, let alone suppress it, at this point. He just had to get to Kagome.

"I know, and I think it's best if you let her alone for now before you go talk with her."

"But," Miroku was helping him up at this point, and Inuyasha could see the concern in his eyes.

"Just trust me Inuyasha. Lady Kagome will calm down after a while. She's just worked up from all her training."

Somehow Inuyasha doubted that, but he decided to follow the houshi's advice anyway.

**There you have it. Please R&R and stay tuned for Chapter 2: Short Fuse. **


	2. Short Fuse

**Sorry it's so late in the day. Thursdays are update days, so, barring some unforeseeable debilitating circumstance, you all should expect an update every Thursday. **

**I want to say thank you to all who read my first chapter, and a special thank you to spedclass for reviewing.**

Kagome was tired. It was a warm day, and she could still feel a few sweat beads trickle down her face. She had spent a hard day training with Kaede and Miroku, and she could definitely feel it as they walked back to the village. The walk was long, her breath was short, her feet tired, her body sore and her energy low, but she was happy. She felt somewhat surreal as she talked with her companions on the way back.

Three years ago, she would have never guessed that she would end up here. How could she? She had been dragged into this world through a waterless well by a demonic centipede. She had to smile at the journey she had taken to arrive where she was now. It had been hard, but she had made friends. They had become closer than even her friends at home. To her right, Lady Kaede walked beside her. She had been one of the first people Kagome had met when she arrived in the feudal era. Over time, she had become like a grandmother to Kagome.

To her right, Miroku. When she first met the houshi, she couldn't believe his brazen advances towards her, but as she had come to know him, and their friendship grew, his lechery ceased to extend to her, and he had become like a brother to her. On the other side of that, as they headed into Kaede's village, they were talking and laughing about moments remembered shared with the companions they had left in the village. Songo, a taijiya, had become like a sister to Kagome, and Miroku's fiancé. Then there was Shippo. He was a small kitsune orphan who she had come to love as if he were his own son.

Last, but Kagome knew he was certainly far from least, was Inuyasha. He had been the first person she met when she arrived in feudal Japan, although he hadn't been awake during their meeting. She had to smile when she remembered tugging on his ears as he slept pinned to the sacred tree. She had been afraid of him at first, and with good reason. However, with help from Kaede, he had let her join him on a quest to find all the shards of the Shikon no Tama.

Of course, the shattering of the jewel had been her fault, and he had been none too pleased about it. He was rude and arrogant and selfish and a two-timing jerk, but she knew that it was all a façade he had learned to put up since he was a child to survive. She had come to love him, even if he did not return that love. She had chosen to stay by him, even though she knew in the end, he would go to hell with another.

These thoughts had been plaguing her the last month. Ever since she had announced that she wanted to increase and control her miko powers, he had become distant with her. The only other times he ever did that was when Kikyo, the woman he was going to hell for, had come into the picture. She wondered if this was why he was distant now. She knew that she already reminded him of his ex-love. She was Kikyo's reincarnation after all.

"He's probably upset with me because I'm trying to become a better miko, like Kikyo," she thought while glancing up at the tree he often slept in, "I'm reminding him that I'm no where near Kikyo, and he hates me for it."

Kagome followed Miroku and Kaede into the hut and pulled Shippo into her lap as she joined the rest in sitting around the fire. She was just wondering where Inuyasha had gotten off to when she heard a soft thump outside the hut.

"Hey," she heard him snarl from outside. And as he came in through the bamboo "door" he asked, "What's your problem?"

"What are ye talking about Inuyasha?"

"Not you baba, Kagome."

"If ye have a question for Lady Kagome, ye should simply ask her. There is no need to be rude to the rest of us."

"That's what I'm trying to do you old hag! Kagome, just answer the question."

"Inuyasha, don't be so rude. There's nothing wrong with me." _Honestly, if anyone should be asking that, it's me!_ She hoped he would drop the subject, but obviously he had other ideas in his head as he pushed the subject.

Kagome rolled her eyes, although she doubted anyone could see as it was dark, "What makes you think I'm upset?"

"I saw you. You were all happy and annoying with the houshi and baba, then you looked up and got all sad."

"Wha- no I didn't," Kagome's heart froze.

"I. saw. you. You looked right at me. Now what the hell did I do to make you mad at me?"

Coming alive just long enough to die, Kagome felt her heart sink. "I didn't know you were up there," she whispered, looking at the ground.

"Ha! See, you are mad at me," Inuyasha said as though he had won some kind of point, which annoyed her.

"I didn't say that! I just said I didn't know you were up there!"

Inuyasha looked slightly taken aback by her exclamation. She was lying, but she hoped that he would just buy it and let it go. Their faces were inches apart now, and Inuyasha's eyes bored into Kagome's as though trying to see the secrets kept hidden behind them. Kagome held his gaze, screaming in her head for him to look away. She didn't know how long she could look into those pools of gold and not melt into them. Finally though, he slumped back onto the floor and shoved his hands in the sleeves of his haori with nothing more than a, "Keh!"

Relief washed over Kagome as she shifted her gaze to the fire. She knew the others were holding their breaths, waiting to see if everything was really alright between the two. Suddenly Kagome heard a loud smack and jerked her head up.

"Hentai!"

"But my dear Songo, the tension in the air was so thick that I could not stay afloat. I had to hold on to something!"

Songo opened her mouth as if to retort, but then suddenly tried to stifle a laugh. Kagome quickly followed suit, but as the girls looked at each other, they couldn't hold it in any longer. Their laughter erupted and the rest of the hut quickly followed. Soon though, the laughter died down and Miroku spoke once again.

"I have to say, Kagome, I'm very impressed with your level of improvement since the last time I came to train with you and Lady Kaede."

"I agree. Kagome, ye have been learning very well and very quickly."

Kagome blushed at their praise, "Oh, um, thank you."

"Keh! I don't know why you wanna bother with this stuff. I said I'd protect you didn't I?"

"And that makes me a distraction doesn't it? _How many times to I have to watch you get hurt while you are distracted by me. I love you Inuyasha, and I hate seeing you hurt, especially when it's all my fault._ Well I don't want to be. You, Miroku, Songo, Kirara and even Shippo all try so hard to fight, while I just have to sit in the background, point out shards and hope not to get killed. I want to be able to fight too."

"I don't see what good it's gonna do. Kikyo's the only miko strong enough to stand up to Naraku, and you're no where near as strong as her so it looks like I'm still gonna have to protect you doesn't it?"

Kagome didn't know what to say. She knew he felt this way, she had been thinking about it just a little while ago. But the hurt she felt when he actually said it out loud was more than she could take, it was all she could do to squeak out a small, "Oh."

She could feel tears start to burn the insides of her eyes, "Um, I'm really tired, so I'm gonna go take a bath before I go to bed."

"Do you want me to go with you," she heard Sango ask.

"No, it's ok."

Kagome scooped up her backpack and left. Almost immediately those left in the hut exploded into different versions of, "Inuyasha, you idiot! How could you say something like that?" Kagome felt grateful that her friends were all behind her, but she wasn't in the mood to stick around, so she took off at a run. It wasn't long, though, until Inuyasha caught up to her.

"Hey! This isn't the way to the hot spring!"

"Inuyasha, what are you doing here?"

"Well I was gonna follow you to make sure you got there and back alright, but now that I tracked your scent here, I'm trying to find out just what the hell you think you're doing."

"I'm going home, Inuyasha."

"Like hell you are."

"SIT!" Kagome heard her voice crack as she screamed the word, and in that brief instant while Inuyasha's bead glowed pink, she saw a strange look cross his face. It wasn't anger, like she would have expected from him before the slam she knew was coming, it was something completely unexpected. She thought she saw sadness and confusion and concern as he looked at her. But she didn't stick around long enough to find out, as he cratered the earth like never before, she took off at a run toward the well.

**There you have it. Please R&R and stay tuned for chapter 3: An Intimate Conversation.**


	3. An Intimate conversation

When she arrived back in modern Japan, Kagome said a quick hello to her family and went straight to bed. As she lay there, she couldn't help but think over the previous events of the evening. She remembered the look on Inuyasha's face as she had sat him, and knew that she had overreacted. She imagined him back at Kaede's hating her more now than he ever did before. At this thought, the tears came flooding out, and in this way, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, she awoke to a soft tapping at her window. Confused she thought perhaps it was a bird pecking on the glass, and rolled back over. Again came the tapping. Kagome sighed, hoping the animal would soon go away. But as the tapping came again, she heard another sound that made her sit up.

"Kagome," came Inuyasha's quiet voice, "Please let me in."

Inuyasha waited a moment as he heard rustling on the other side of the window. Soon the curtains were pulled back and he was face to face with his Kagome once again. Generally, she looked fine, as though nothing were wrong with her, but Inuyasha knew her better. He could see the light puff and discoloration around her eyes, telling him that she had cried the night away. She gave him a small, "Hi," as she opened the window and let him in.

"Have you come to take me back," she asked as she sat down on the edge of her bed. Inuyasha sat down opposite of her in front of her desk.

"Kagome…"

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry." She threw it out. She had decided that if she didn't get it out now, they may never get to it, or worse, they would start arguing again, and she just had to apologize for last night.

Inuyasha was flabbergasted. _She_ was apologizing to _him_?! He hated that she felt the need to apologize to him. He should be the one apologizing.

Kagome heard him growling and was slightly taken aback, but she needed to get this out, so she decided to ignore it.

"I'm sorry for yesterday. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you, and I most certainly shouldn't have sat you. I know that — "

"Shut up," Inuyasha growled through gritted teeth. He couldn't take it. He couldn't stand hearing an apology he didn't deserve. It was eating him away.

Kagome had to choke back a lump of air that had gotten lodged in her throat. Inuyasha looked at her, and his eyes were so full of sadness, her heart hurt.

"Why, Kagome," he had to know. Before he could apologize himself, before he could move on, he had to understand, "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Why," Kagome was confused, "because you deserve it Inuyasha. You've done nothing wrong, and I've been so cruel. You deserve an apology…as well as an explanation, "she forced out that last part. She knew he deserved it, but it was going to be so hard. She would have to tell him everything.

"Inuyasha, nothing I tell you will make sense unless you know this one thing, and it is very hard for me to say because I know that it might cause you pain. I," she sighed. She knew it was too late to turn back now, but oh how she wanted to. As much as she longed to be able to tell him, she wanted him to finally have the happiness he deserved more. "I am in love with you."

Inuyasha's heart leaped, "but why in Kami's name would she think that that knowledge would cause him pain?" At this moment, Inuyasha didn't think he could be happier, although he kept that to himself so she could continue.

"…realize that you are in love with Kikyo, and accept that. I know that you plan on becoming a full demon and going with her, but at the same time, that knowledge hurts me. I feel like every step closer to defeating Naraku and gathering all the shards we take, is another step closer I am to losing you. But I just want you to be happy. Please believe me when I say that.'

'I also realize that my just being with you hurts you. I remind you of Kikyo. I know that, and always have, but I love you, and can't stand to be away. That's why I stayed by you. I know that Kikyo could have found the shards with you, but I wanted to be with you so badly, that I allowed myself to be selfish. I guess that's why I've been sad lately.'

'Ever since I started training, you've been distant from me. I realized that my becoming a better miko only served to reinforce that reminder for you that I am only her copy. I can never measure up to her in any way. She was prettier than I am, a better miko, she certainly protected the jewel better, and she gave her life for you. I know that I am a very poor imitation of her, and that is causing you pain. I've been feeling so guilty for that. It's entirely my fault that you feel that pain. If I would only go home and leave you alone, or even give Kikyo the rest of my soul, you wouldn't need to feel that pain.'

'That's what I was thinking about when I looked at that tree. So I guess that's why I got so upset when you said that about my not being as good as Kikyo. I knew it was the truth, and I knew it was how you felt, it just hurt so much to hear you say it out loud. I had no reason to si," Inuyasha cringed, "Oops, sorry, I mean 's' word you. It was completely uncalled for."

Kagome ended there, and could only look at her hands in her lap. She watched as tear after tear fell on her fingers and palms. She heard rustling and knew that Inuyasha was standing up. For one terrifying moment, she thought he was going to leave, but when she looked up, she was surprised to see that he had grabbed a box of Kleenex, and was holding them out for her to take. She was a little surprised, but took the box, and scooted to face the hanyou as he sat down beside her.

"Baka woman."

Kagome looked a little hurt by this, and Inuyasha had to smile to himself.

"There are so many things wrong with what you just said," Kagome looked as though she were going to interrupt, so he continued on. "You know what I was thinking when I was in that tree?"

Kagome shook her head and sniffed, "I was thinking about how proud I was of you. You're only human, and yet you have tried so hard to get the jewel shards back. It's only been a month and yet you're learning things that it took Kikyo years to learn."

Kagome looked back at her hands at this. Inuyasha immediately placed a clawed finger under her chin and brought her eyes back up to his.

"But that's not why I have been distant. Kagome, I promised to protect you, so I guess when you wanted to increase your miko powers, I knew it was because you thought I couldn't protect you. So many times I've let you get hurt because I wasn't strong enough. I'm just a weak hanyou, and I know that I'd be able to protect you better as a full demon. I'm always thinking about that, and so when you wanted to become stronger, I felt even worse. I felt like I was letting you down. I'm tired of letting the people I love down."

_Did he just say love?_

"I want you to stop comparing yourself to Kikyo, because I don't. You are not her, and you are not worse than her either. And I don't ever want to hear you say something about giving her your soul ever again," this he growled and Kagome jumped a little. Inuyasha stood up, "Ok?"

Kagome nodded and stood up herself, "Arigatou, Inuyasha." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. Inuyasha stiffened. Kagome had only hugged him a few times before. It always threw him off guard. His initial instinct was to run away. Showing emotion was something the weak did. Then again, Kagome did it all the time, and he always thought that she was so strong. Besides, he had just spent a whole morning revealing some of his most intimate emotions to the very woman he felt them for, so what was a little more. He relaxed, wrapped his own arms around her petite frame and rested his chin on her head.

Kagome would have loved to stay like that forever, but she felt Inuyasha start to pull away, and allowed him to go. He turned and started to leave again through her window, but she stopped him.

"Aren't you gonna wait for me?"

Inuyasha sighed, "Kagome, you probably should stay here a little longer and rest. Besides, you haven't been here in a while. I thought you would want to stay here for a few days like you usually do."

"Oh, um, thanks Inuyasha. Yeah," she said and smiled, "That's very thoughtful of you."

"Keh, whatever," was all he said, but inside he was smiling.

**That's all for today. Please R&R and stay tuned for chapter 4: An Unwelcomed Guest!**


	4. An Unwelcomed Guest Edited

Hey everyone

**Hey everyone. This chapter is quite a bit heavier than my previous chapters. This is where the story really gets going. I don't normally like simply telling people my plot, but I think it calls for it in this case. This chapter contains rape. The actual physical violation has been edited out, but it is rape nonetheless, so if you are sensitive to that, please don't read. Also, please understand that rape is one of the worst things one person can do to another, so I have not treated this situation in a light manner.**

Kagome stood at her window and watched him disappear into the shrine before she closed the curtains. As she turned on the shower, she thought back to their conversation that morning.

_I felt like I was letting you down. I'm tired of letting the people I love down._

"Did he mean it? Does he really love me, or was it just something he said? One thing I know, he said that he was proud of me, and that he doesn't compare me to Kikyo. That's enough to be happy about. I think I'll take those and let the rest be."

Kagome finished showering and changed into a light pink sundress. As Kagome made her way downstairs, her nose registered a scent she hadn't smelled in such a long time: bacon. She sighed hungrily and jumped the last couple steps before bounding into the kitchen.

"Morning Mama!"

"Good Morning Kagome. Are you feeling better?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Do you think I could have some bacon too?"

"Yes. I made plenty."

"Thanks!"

"Sure, Oh, Kagome, I'm sorry to do this after you just got back, but your Grandfather, Souta and I are taking a vacation to the mainland starting today. We have plane tickets for this afternoon."

"Oh, um, ok."

"If you wanted to, we could probably put off leaving for another day and see if we can't get you a ticket too."

"How long are you going to be gone?"

"Oh, a couple of weeks."

"Oh, I couldn't be gone that long. Inuyasha would pitch a fit! Plus, a lot could happen in a couple of weeks. You guys should just go ahead like you planned. I'll come back when you get back."

"Ok sweetie," Mrs. Higurashi said as she placed the bacon on the table and planted a kiss on Kagome's cheek.

The rest of the morning was filled with noise and commotion. Mrs. Higurashi and Souta scrambled to finish packing and Gramps spent all his time blessing a purifying the luggage. Kagome giggled as her grandfather fell into a fit of prayer after Buyo knocked over a pile of luggage. All too soon the Higurashi family, sans Kagome, were packed and ready to head out the door.

"Sayonara dear. Stay safe. Lock all the doors behind you when you go back, ok?"

"Sure mom. Have fun," said Kagome as she gave her mother one last hug before she got in and shut the car door. Souta scooted over in the back seat and leaned out the window.

"Bye sis! Try no to trash out the place too much with your parties!"

"Souta!" But it was too late. With a huge grin on his face, Souta and the rest of her family were down the road and out of sight. Kagome trotted back up the stairs to the shrine and her house.

"Souta's right though," she thought, "I could call my friends. It is summer vacation after all, and it would be great to hang out with them on the beach. Then again, Mama's probably already told everyone that I would be going with them on vacation."

Kagome decided to go ahead and spend the day alone in the shrine. At least then she'd be able to relax for a while. Inuyasha was being really nice, why waste it? The rest of the afternoon went by quickly for Kagome. She popped some pop corn, and picked out a movie she hadn't seen in a while. It was a long movie that had been adapted from one of her favorite books, and she thought the director had done an excellent job. The movie had been shot in New Zeland, and it seemed like every landscape shown in the film was beautiful. "It would be so nice to visit there someday and see places like that," she thought with a sigh.

Since she would probably cook a lot in the morning to take back to her friends in the feudal era, Kagome decided she didn't want to cook tonight. So, she ran upstairs to make sure she had enough money, and called one of her favorite take-out joints. The woman on the other end of the line told her that it would be about a half-hour wait, so Kagome decided that would give her ample opportunity for a quick work-out.

She threw on a pair of cotton shorts, a tank top, and a sweatband for good measure before heading downstairs to get on the treadmill that her mother had gotten for Gramps last Christmas. She had said that he needed it to work on his cardio — that giving his heart a work-out would help stave off any heart attacks that may have been coming in his old age. Now she said that she might just as well have given it to Kagome because it seemed she was the only one who used it.

A good three miles later, Kagome stepped off, grabbed a towel and was just heading back up the stairs when she heard the doorbell ring. Turning back around, she took a quick detour towards the kitchen to grab her money, then went to open the door. As it swung open, she opened her mouth to give a greeting, but the words died on her lips. Standing there before her was a man she knew very well. Although his face was slightly different and he wore the clothes and hat of his delivery uniform, his eyes were exactly the same. He was a man who made her stomach churn and she knew she'd always be able to recognize him in any form he may be.

"Onigumo," she half-whispered.

His face, which before had been expectant and greedy, changed to one of slight satisfaction.

"Not anymore."

"What do you mean," Kagome started to ask, but before she could finish, the man had pulled out a gun and stuck the barrel right in her face. At that moment, there were hundreds of things Kagome felt like doing. So many questions she wanted answers for ran through her head, as well as desires to run, to call for help, to knock the gun away and try to defeat him herself. She could do none of these. Alone and far away from any help, Kagome was frozen to where she stood.

"You are going to do exactly what I say."

Knocked out of her stupor, Kagome blinked and nodded, all the while never taking her eyes off that gun.

"Good girl. Now back up into the house."

Kagome obeyed and once the both of them were inside the threshold, she stopped and the man closed the door behind him. She took her eyes off the gun long enough to see him turn the lock on the door.

"Now, turn around and take me to your kitchen."

"What do you want with me Onigumo?"

"I'm not Onigumo, but I'll tell you all about it over dinner."

Kagome led him to her kitchen where the man sat her in a chair at the table. He set the food down on the table and took the chair opposite her. He set the gun on the edge of the table, still facing Kagome, took some food out for himself and passed the rest to her.

"Eat."

"If you're not Onigumo, then who are you?"

"Eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Yes you are, otherwise you would not have ordered the food. Now, EAT!"

Kagome jumped as he yelled that last word, and reached forward to take some food, but she only nibbled on it. The man smirked and leaned back in his chair.

"It's true that I look exactly like Onigumo, but my name is Ishiro. I am no more Onigumo than you are Kikyo."

Kagome gasped, "Then you are his reincarnation?"

"Ah, you're quick. That's correct."

"Then that means…"

Ishiro laughed, "Yes. It means that you defeated Naraku. Or rather, you will defeat him. And when you do, his soul will be free to move on and reincarnate into me."

"But what do you want with me?"

"I'm not sure how, perhaps it has something to do with binding my soul to Naraku, but I have all of Onigumo's memories as well as my own. I started having dreams every night. I was dreaming of the cave he used to reside in, and of the woman he grew to lust for. I realized then that my soul still yearned for her. That's when I remembered that she had been reincarnated. So I began watching you and your family."

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long have you been watching me?"

"Oh, hmm, I dunno. About two and a half years."

Kagome felt sick. Two and a half years?! She could feel the heat behind her eyes, telling her that she was going to cry. She fought to push them back, and looked at him with contempt.

"So you found me, now what?"

"I'm going to finish what Onigumo started."

"Are you going to kill me?"

Ishiro laughed, "Why don't we start by you giving me a tour of your house. I doubt you have what I need. Are you done eating?"

Kagome nodded her head, looking down at the table.

"Then get up," he said standing up himself and picking up the gun.

Kagome lead him from room to room, telling him about each one. She prayed all the while for an opportunity to get away, but Ishiro never got close enough to her to give her a chance. He always stood behind her and kept at least a foot's distance between her back and the tip of the gun. It wasn't long until Kagome felt a strange sensation come over her body, and she had to stop and put a hand on the wall to steady herself.

"I see it's starting to take effect. No matter; I've found what I wanted."

"You poisoned me?"

"Oh, nothing as serious as that. I put a simple muscle relaxer in your drink."

"Why?"

"I told you, I'm going to finish what Onigumo started. Now, come back this way."

Ishiro directed Kagome into a room she had already shown him — her mother's.

"Sit down."

Kagome looked at the bed (the only place to sit down in the room), then back at Ishiro, who had entered the room himself and was now closing the door behind him, and her eyes grew wide with comprehension.

"Figure this one out too, huh?"

"Please don't."

"Kagome, I've been planning for this day for two and a half years now. Do you really think I'm going to stop now that I'm finally going to get what I want just because you asked me to?"

"I…I'll purify you," she said rather dumbly.

"Boy you sure do get stupid when you're scared. I'm human remember. Your miko powers won't work against me. You're defenseless."

Ishiro had been slowly approaching Kagome as they talked, while she slowly backed up. As he said this last sentence, Kagome bumped into something, and when she turned around to get a look, she saw that it was the bed. She turned back around to see Ishiro a few steps away with a grin on his face enough to make her stomach start moving again.

"I will have you Kagome. I will make you mine whether you're willing or not." As he said this, he placed the tip of the gun on her chest and pushed her back onto the bed. Kagome was tired. Her three-mile run earlier had left her exhausted, and now that the muscle relaxers were taking their effect, she really was defenseless. Even as he put the gun away and she saw her opportunity to fight back, she could barely muster up enough energy to raise her arm. He swiftly caught it and threw her back onto the bed.

"You can't fight me anymore, Kagome. You should just accept her fate."

Ishiro took off his coat and pulled out two pairs of handcuffs before throwing it aside. As he positioned her in the middle of the bed and handcuffed her wrists to the headboard, Kagome felt the floodgates on her eyes open. He straddled her and looked into her eyes. He watched her cry for a few moments before leaning forward to brush away some tears with his thumb. Kagome looked away at his touch.

"Don't worry Kagome. You will learn to love me."

Kagome once again looked him in the eyes. She saw the same lust in them that she felt in his touch. It made her want to vomit. "I will never love you Ishiro. Never. I don't belong to you. You have to stop. Please let me go."

"I don't think so. You only say that now because you are in love with that hanyou. You need to forget about him Kagome. You are mine now. Once I bed you, you can never be with him. Dogs mate for life, and if you have already been touched, if you belong to another, then he will not have you."

"No…"

"Yes," he pulled a large knife out from behind him, "now don't fight me Kagome, or I will have to punish you."

He leaned forward and Kagome shut her eyes. She knew she couldn't fight what was coming, but she didn't want to see it. She felt the dull side of the cold blade against her skin. She felt a tug, and heard a rip as he cut each strap and down the center of her tank. He pulled it away from her body and threw it away. She felt the distance between their bodies disappear and then the crushing pressure of his mouth against hers. He held her head with both of his hands, knife still in hand, and shoved his tongue into her mouth.

His fat muscle explored the inside of her mouth for so long, she thought he might suffocate her with it. Eventually, it retracted back into his own mouth and she felt his teeth grab her lower lip before he pulled away. His lips traced her jaw line until they found the crook of her neck. Ishiro sucked and nibbled until he needed to surface for air.

It felt as though a lifetime passed, but finally he finished and pulled himself out of her. He stood up, walked over and cleaned himself with her shirt. Kagome didn't move. She lay there as he left her and stared at the ceiling, utterly crushed. The pain in her abdomen was pounding against her. Ishiro dressed, then walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He picked up the knife, and let the tip of it run along her chest.

"Now, Kagome, I think it's time I told you the rules. You are to tell no one about me. You should know that if you do, I have made arrangements. Your family will die. You are mine now, so I am going to want to do this again. Don't stay gone too long. We won't always have to meet here, if your family is in my way, I have your cell number. I'll give you a call and tell you what to do. Whatever I tell you, you are to do it. Otherwise, your family will die. Is all of this clear?"

Kagome nodded.

"Good. Now, I think you had better get yourself cleaned up. I don't want that half-breed smelling me on you when you go back."

Kagome watched as Ishiro took the handcuffs away, picked up his coat and left. A minute later she heard the front door open and close. When it did, she rolled over, curled herself into a little ball and cried. She didn't know how long she lay there, but eventually she got up, gathered her clothes and took a very long shower. She cleaned herself as well as she possibly could, praying that she could get his smell off of her.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, the sun was beginning to rise. She sighed, got dressed and set about cleaning her mother's room.

**Ok, there it is. Please R&R. This was a very tough chapter to write, and this edited version seems a bit hollow to me. The original version will be up next.  
**


	5. An Unwelcomed Guest Unedited

This is the unedited version of Chapter 4

**This is the unedited version of Chapter 4. Please, please, please, please do NOT read if you are underage or very sensitive to rape. **

Kagome stood at her window and watched him disappear into the shrine before she closed the curtains. As she turned on the shower, she thought back to their conversation that morning.

_I felt like I was letting you down. I'm tired of letting the people I love down._

"Did he mean it? Does he really love me, or was it just something he said? One thing I know, he said that he was proud of me, and that he doesn't compare me to Kikyo. That's enough to be happy about. I think I'll take those and let the rest be."

Kagome finished showering and changed into a light pink sundress. As Kagome made her way downstairs, her nose registered a scent she hadn't smelled in such a long time: bacon. She sighed hungrily and jumped the last couple steps before bounding into the kitchen.

"Morning Mama!"

"Good Morning Kagome. Are you feeling better?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Do you think I could have some bacon too?"

"Yes. I made plenty."

"Thanks!"

"Sure, Oh, Kagome, I'm sorry to do this after you just got back, but your Grandfather, Souta and I are taking a vacation to the mainland starting today. We have plane tickets for this afternoon."

"Oh, um, ok."

"If you wanted to, we could probably put off leaving for another day and see if we can't get you a ticket too."

"How long are you going to be gone?"

"Oh, a couple of weeks."

"Oh, I couldn't be gone that long. Inuyasha would pitch a fit! Plus, a lot could happen in a couple of weeks. You guys should just go ahead like you planned. I'll come back when you get back."

"Ok sweetie," Mrs. Higurashi said as she placed the bacon on the table and planted a kiss on Kagome's cheek.

The rest of the morning was filled with noise and commotion. Mrs. Higurashi and Souta scrambled to finish packing and Gramps spent all his time blessing a purifying the luggage. Kagome giggled as her grandfather fell into a fit of prayer after Buyo knocked over a pile of luggage. All too soon the Higurashi family, sans Kagome, were packed and ready to head out the door.

"Sayonara dear. Stay safe. Lock all the doors behind you when you go back, ok?"

"Sure mom. Have fun," said Kagome as she gave her mother one last hug before she got in and shut the car door. Souta scooted over in the back seat and leaned out the window.

"Bye sis! Try no to trash out the place too much with your parties!"

"Souta!" But it was too late. With a huge grin on his face, Souta and the rest of her family were down the road and out of sight. Kagome trotted back up the stairs to the shrine and her house.

"Souta's right though," she thought, "I could call my friends. It is summer vacation after all, and it would be great to hang out with them on the beach. Then again, Mama's probably already told everyone that I would be going with them on vacation."

Kagome decided to go ahead and spend the day alone in the shrine. At least then she'd be able to relax for a while. Inuyasha was being really nice, why waste it? The rest of the afternoon went by quickly for Kagome. She popped some pop corn, and picked out a movie she hadn't seen in a while. It was a long movie that had been adapted from one of her favorite books, and she thought the director had done an excellent job. The movie had been shot in New Zeland, and it seemed like every landscape shown in the film was beautiful. "It would be so nice to visit there someday and see places like that," she thought with a sigh.

Since she would probably cook a lot in the morning to take back to her friends in the feudal era, Kagome decided she didn't want to cook tonight. So, she ran upstairs to make sure she had enough money, and called one of her favorite take-out joints. The woman on the other end of the line told her that it would be about a half-hour wait, so Kagome decided that would give her ample opportunity for a quick work-out.

She threw on a pair of cotton shorts, a tank top, and a sweatband for good measure before heading downstairs to get on the treadmill that her mother had gotten for Gramps last Christmas. She had said that he needed it to work on his cardio — that giving his heart a work-out would help stave off any heart attacks that may have been coming in his old age. Now she said that she might just as well have given it to Kagome because it seemed she was the only one who used it.

A good three miles later, Kagome stepped off, grabbed a towel and was just heading back up the stairs when she heard the doorbell ring. Turning back around, she took a quick detour towards the kitchen to grab her money, then went to open the door. As it swung open, she opened her mouth to give a greeting, but the words died on her lips. Standing there before her was a man she knew very well. Although his face was slightly different and he wore the clothes and hat of his delivery uniform, his eyes were exactly the same. He was a man who made her stomach churn and she knew she'd always be able to recognize him in any form he may be.

"Onigumo," she half-whispered.

His face, which before had been expectant and greedy, changed to one of slight satisfaction.

"Not anymore."

"What do you mean," Kagome started to ask, but before she could finish, the man had pulled out a gun and stuck the barrel right in her face. At that moment, there were hundreds of things Kagome felt like doing. So many questions she wanted answers for ran through her head, as well as desires to run, to call for help, to knock the gun away and try to defeat him herself. She could do none of these. Alone and far away from any help, Kagome was frozen to where she stood.

"You are going to do exactly what I say."

Knocked out of her stupor, Kagome blinked and nodded, all the while never taking her eyes off that gun.

"Good girl. Now back up into the house."

Kagome obeyed and once the both of them were inside the threshold, she stopped and the man closed the door behind him. She took her eyes off the gun long enough to see him turn the lock on the door.

"Now, turn around and take me to your kitchen."

"What do you want with me Onigumo?"

"I'm not Onigumo, but I'll tell you all about it over dinner."

Kagome led him to her kitchen where the man sat her in a chair at the table. He set the food down on the table and took the chair opposite her. He set the gun on the edge of the table, still facing Kagome, took some food out for himself and passed the rest to her.

"Eat."

"If you're not Onigumo, then who are you?"

"Eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Yes you are, otherwise you would not have ordered the food. Now, EAT!"

Kagome jumped as he yelled that last word, and reached forward to take some food, but she only nibbled on it. The man smirked and leaned back in his chair.

"It's true that I look exactly like Onigumo, but my name is Ishiro. I am no more Onigumo than you are Kikyo."

Kagome gasped, "Then you are his reincarnation?"

"Ah, you're quick. That's correct."

"Then that means…"

Ishiro laughed, "Yes. It means that you defeated Naraku. Or rather, you will defeat him. And when you do, his soul will be free to move on and reincarnate into me."

"But what do you want with me?"

"I'm not sure how, perhaps it has something to do with binding my soul to Naraku, but I have all of Onigumo's memories as well as my own. I started having dreams every night. I was dreaming of the cave he used to reside in, and of the woman he grew to lust for. I realized then that my soul still yearned for her. That's when I remembered that she had been reincarnated. So I began watching you and your family."

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long have you been watching me?"

"Oh, hmm, I dunno. About two and a half years."

Kagome felt sick. Two and a half years?! She could feel the heat behind her eyes, telling her that she was going to cry. She fought to push them back, and looked at him with contempt.

"So you found me, now what?"

"I'm going to finish what Onigumo started."

"Are you going to kill me?"

Ishiro laughed, "Why don't we start by you giving me a tour of your house. I doubt you have what I need. Are you done eating?"

Kagome nodded her head, looking down at the table.

"Then get up," he said standing up himself and picking up the gun.

Kagome lead him from room to room, telling him about each one. She prayed all the while for an opportunity to get away, but Ishiro never got close enough to her to give her a chance. He always stood behind her and kept at least a foot's distance between her back and the tip of the gun. It wasn't long until Kagome felt a strange sensation come over her body, and she had to stop and put a hand on the wall to steady herself.

"I see it's starting to take effect. No matter; I've found what I wanted."

"You poisoned me?"

"Oh, nothing as serious as that. I put a simple muscle relaxer in your drink."

"Why?"

"I told you, I'm going to finish what Onigumo started. Now, come back this way."

Ishiro directed Kagome into a room she had already shown him — her mother's.

"Sit down."

Kagome looked at the bed (the only place to sit down in the room), then back at Ishiro, who had entered the room himself and was now closing the door behind him, and her eyes grew wide with comprehension.

"Figure this one out too, huh?"

"Please don't."

"Kagome, I've been planning for this day for two and a half years now. Do you really think I'm going to stop now that I'm finally going to get what I want just because you asked me to?"

"I…I'll purify you," she said rather dumbly.

"Boy you sure do get stupid when you're scared. I'm human remember. Your miko powers won't work against me. You're defenseless."

Ishiro had been slowly approaching Kagome as they talked, while she slowly backed up. As he said this last sentence, Kagome bumped into something, and when she turned around to get a look, she saw that it was the bed. She turned back around to see Ishiro a few steps away with a grin on his face enough to make her stomach start moving again.

"I will have you Kagome. I will make you mine whether you're willing or not." As he said this, he placed the tip of the gun on her chest and pushed her back onto the bed. Kagome was tired. Her three-mile run earlier had left her exhausted, and now that the muscle relaxers were taking their effect, she really was defenseless. Even as he put the gun away and she saw her opportunity to fight back, she could barely muster up enough energy to raise her arm. He swiftly caught it and threw her back onto the bed.

"You can't fight me anymore, Kagome. You should just accept your fate."

Ishiro took off his coat and pulled out two pairs of handcuffs before throwing it aside. As he positioned her in the middle of the bed and handcuffed her wrists to the headboard, Kagome felt the floodgates on her eyes open. He straddled her and looked into her eyes. He watched her cry for a few moments before leaning forward to brush away some tears with his thumb. Kagome looked away at his touch.

"Don't worry Kagome. You will learn to love me."

Kagome once again looked him in the eyes. She saw the same lust in them that she felt in his touch. It made her want to vomit. "I will never love you Ishiro. Never. I don't belong to you. You have to stop. Please let me go."

"I don't think so. You only say that now because you are in love with that hanyou. You need to forget about him Kagome. You are mine now. Once I bed you, you can never be with him. Dogs mate for life, and if you have already been touched, if you belong to another, then he will not have you."

"No…"

"Yes," he pulled a large knife out from behind him, "now don't fight me Kagome, or I will have to punish you."

He leaned forward and Kagome shut her eyes. She knew she couldn't fight what was coming, but she didn't want to see it. She felt the dull side of the cold blade against her skin. She felt a tug, and heard a rip as he cut each strap and down the center of her tank. He pulled it away from her body and threw it away. She felt the distance between their bodies disappear and then the crushing pressure of his mouth against hers. He held her head with both of his hands, knife still in hand, and shoved his tongue into her mouth.

His fat muscle explored the inside of her mouth for so long, she thought he might suffocate her with it. Eventually, it retracted back into his own mouth and she felt his teeth grab her lower lip before he pulled away. His lips traced her jaw line until they found the crook of her neck. Ishiro sucked and nibbled until he needed to surface for air. When he did, he cut away her sport bra in the same way as he had her tank top. For a moment Kagome felt the cold air on her breasts. The sudden change in temperature made her nipples harden slightly. She heard a dull thud to her left that told her Ishiro had put the knife down.

He placed a hand on each breast and she felt him run his thumbs over her nipples, "I told you you would come to love me. It's already started."

Kagome could only shake her head. His hands squeezed her breasts and his fingers flipped her nipples before he placed his hands on the bed on either side of her and he pushed himself back. He leaned forward once again and she felt his lips attack her chest. He roamed over each hill making sure to spend to spend ample time with each pink point.

Finally he sat up and moved off of her. If it was possible, her heart started beating even faster as his hands confirmed what she had known was coming. He placed a hand on each hip, and slipping his fingers inside her shorts, he pulled them off. She heard a zipper and then rustling and knew he had taken off his pants. She felt him get on the bed once again. He straddled her ankles and after half a moment's pause, she felt his lips brush her stomach.

"You are so beautiful, Kagome. I can see why Onigumo lusted after you. You will love me you know."

Kagome once again shook her head. His lips once again pressed themselves against her stomach. Slowly they moved their way downward until he was placing a kiss on her mound through her panties. Once again she felt his hands on her hips as he slipped her panties off of them. Slowly he slid them down her legs until he stood up at the end of the bed to pull them off of her feet.

Now she lay before him, completely naked, completely exposed. She sniffed and cried out once more in desperation.

"Please don't. Please don't do this to me."

"Don't be afraid. Just give yourself to me."

She felt his fingers slip around her ankles. He slowly spread her legs apart, and she felt the cold air rush in on her. Ishiro climbed back onto the bed and she felt his hands slide up her thighs and come to rest on her hips. She knew he was looking at her, admiring her, lusting for her and she whimpered. He kissed the inside of her thighs and placed a hand on her mound.

"So beautiful…"

He spread her apart with his fingers, and she felt one slip inside her. He shoved it in until his hand was crushed up against her and then rubbed it against her as he pulled it out. Again he pushed it in, and again he pulled out. Again. Then Kagome felt a second finger slide inside her. She winced at the pain.

"You're so tight, my sweet. I have to get you ready to take me."

Kagome could no longer keep her crying silent. "Please! Please stop it! Please don't do this to me!"

"Shhh. Relax. Just enjoy yourself. Here, let me help you."

As Ishiro continued to shove his fingers inside of her, Kagome felt his thumb begin to stroke her clitoris. A strange sensation began to build up inside her. She started shaking her head as she fought against it. In and out went his fingers, up and down went his thumb. Stroke, stroke, stroke. Push, pull, push, pull. Kagome whimpered.

Stroke.

"No."

Stroke.

"Please!"

Stroke. The feeling within her was so strong now. Kagome felt as though she were standing upon the edge of a great precipice. Again she whimpered.

Stroke.

"Inuyasha!"

Ishiro ripped his fingers out of her. Kagome heard a scrape and then felt the cold sting of sharp metal against her neck.

"Don't you ever say that half-breed's name again."

Kagome didn't respond. She felt the knife jerk tighter against her neck.

"You understand me?!"

She jumped and quickly nodded. Again came the dull thud of the knife being put down.

"Good girl. Now open your eyes."

Kagome obeyed. Ishiro was poised over her, naked from the waist down. His eyes were filled with anger, hate, lust. Again Kagome felt like throwing up. "Please stop," her voice came out soft and cracked.

Ishiro leaned down and rammed his lips against her own. He pulled back slightly so that she could see only his face and with a low, gruff voice said, "You belong to me."

He leaned back and positioned himself at her opening, "I want you to watch me as I take you."

With a single thrust he was inside her. He broke her barrier and hesitated a moment as the blood spilled onto her mothers bed. Kagome cried out in pain, but Ishiro only smiled. Slowly he pulled out and then shoved himself back in. Again he thrust. Again. To Kagome, it felt as though he were actually growing larger inside of her. She could practically feel the blood pumping through him.

Thrust.

Thrust.

Thrust.

Thrust.

Thrust.

He was throbbing, Kagome could feel it. She knew it was coming. Her head screamed against it. She tried to shut her eyes, but he wouldn't let her.

"No! You're going to watch."

Thrust.

Thrust.

One final thrust, and Kagome felt him release inside of her. It was pouring out of him and into her. He was making her his, and she could only lay there and watch. Finally he finished and pulled himself out of her. He stood up, walked over and cleaned himself with her shirt. Kagome didn't move. She lay there as he left her and stared at the ceiling, utterly crushed. The pain in her abdomen was pounding against her. Ishiro dressed, then walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He picked up the knife, and let the tip of it run along her chest.

"Now, Kagome, I think it's time I told you the rules. You are to tell no one about me. You should know that if you do, I have made arrangements. Your family will die. You are mine now, so I am going to want to do this again. Don't stay gone too long. We won't always have to meet here, if your family is in my way, I have your cell number. I'll give you a call and tell you what to do. Whatever I tell you, you are to do it. Otherwise, your family will die. Is all of this clear?"

Kagome nodded.

"Good. Now, I think you had better get yourself cleaned up. I don't want that half-breed smelling me on you when you go back."

Kagome watched as Ishiro took the handcuffs away, picked up his coat and left. A minute later she heard the front door open and close. When it did, she rolled over, curled herself into a little ball and cried. She didn't know how long she laid there, but eventually she got up, gathered her clothes and took a very long shower. She cleaned herself as well as she possibly could, praying that she could get his smell off of her.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, the sun was beginning to rise. She sighed, got dressed and set about cleaning her mother's room.

**There you have it. Please R&R. Please don't flame me about the nature of this chapter. I warned you about it beforehand, remember? Also, I tried to treat this situation with the utmost sensitivity. I realize that because I've never been in this kind of a situation before, that I may have failed in that respect, but I really did try – and that's one of the reasons I gave you a warning. I don't mind criticism, however, so if you feel the need to constructively criticize me on anything other than the general content, please feel free and encouraged.**

**Anyhow, please go ahead and review and stay tuned for Chapter 5: Something's Not Right.**


	6. Something's Not Right

I know this chapter is a bit shorter, but the last one was super long, so hopefully that makes up for it

I know this chapter is a bit shorter, but the last one was super long, so hopefully that makes up for it. I really felt that this scene needed special attention and deserved its own chapter. With that said,

here we go!

At noon, Kagome could be found sitting in her room, looking out the window. She had been there for a couple of hours. The activity in her brain was at a minimum. She just couldn't think. She was numb. She had cried herself dry a long time ago. Now she sat and waited.

She felt dirty. She felt ashamed. She was afraid. She watched the well because she couldn't bring herself to go down it. She wanted to. She wanted to run to the shrinehouse and leap down the well and into Inuyasha's arms, but at the same time she wanted to destroy it. She wanted to make sure that nothing could ever go through that well again.

Ishiro's words rang clear in her mind: _Dogs mate for life, and if you have already been touched, if you belong to another, then he will not have you._ Her heart told her that this could never be true. Inuyasha wouldn't hate her for something that she could not help. But her mind told her something else. Ishiro was right, dog youkai did mate for life. Perhaps he was right about the rest. Maybe Inuyasha would distance himself from her. Maybe this would prevent Inuyasha from ever loving her. She would be reduced, once again, to a simple shard detector.

Of course, she could never tell him what happened, even if she wanted to. Ishiro had told her not to. Her family's life was at stake. She could not risk harming them. That thought led her directly into the implication that her silence posed. If she wanted to keep her family alive, she would have to endure what had happened last night again, who knows how many times. Who knows how long Ishiro would keep this up. He could keep her to himself for the rest of her life. He could kill her. Kagome thought the latter scenario more likely. He would probably get bored with her and get rid of her.

Her heart felt so heavy, she was half surprised that it had any strength left to beat. Eventually though, she decided that she needed to get up and do something. It was time to go back. She had to try to move on. She had to learn to live with her new life. She decided to take one more shower before packing her bag full of ramen and other supplies, then walked (it seemed so long now) out to the well.

Inuyasha was sharpening his sword when he thought he smelled a familiar scent. It was faint, but as he breathed it in, he was sure: Kagome was home. "I didn't expect her to come back for another couple of days. Kagome hardly ever comes home on time, let alone early," he thought as he ran after her. When he found her, she was standing, staring at the Tree of Ages, her yellow bag abandoned on the ground a few feet away. He slowed to a walk as he approached her.

"Kagome?"

She jumped with a gasp and whipped around while backing up. Inuyasha could see the utter terror in here eyes.

"Kagome," he rushed towards towards her, desperate to take her out of whatever terror she was holding inside her. For an instant, it looked like she was going to run from him. "Kagome," he said again, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah."

Slowly, the fear drained from her eyes, to be replaced by sadness and defeat. She leaned back against the tree and slid down until she was sitting on its roots as if her body didn't have the energy left to hold her up. Inuyasha couldn't understand stand seeing her like this, and he couldn't think of a reason for it.

"I'm sorry, you startled me."

He closed the distance between them and knelt down right in front of her so he could see into her eyes, "I can see that." He studied her closely, trying to figure out what was going on. At first she held his gaze, but when the fear started to creep back, she turned away. Now that he was this close, he noticed something else that startled him. Her scent was different. He didn't quite know what it was, and it was very faint, but he didn't like it. He pushed that aside though for later. Now he had to make sure she was alright.

He placed a finger under her chin to make her face him again. She closed her eyes at his touch, placed a shaking hand on his, pulled it away and stood up, "We should probably head back to Kaede's, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha stood with her, "Ok, do you want a ride?" He allowed her to push away for now. He needed to find out what was wrong, and he would make sure to find out, but not here, and not now. He needed to get her out of this forest. He would have to wait to talk to here until the fear loosened its grip on her heart.

"Actually, can we just walk?"

"She felt his grip tighten on her hand, "Yeah, sure, Kagome."

She knew she should have let him carry her, but she felt so safe when she was with him. More than that, she knew any thoughts she may have had about having a life with him were over now. She just wanted to spend as much time with him as she could, while she still had this chance.

They walked together in silence, her hand clutching his as if she thought he would leave her behind if she didn't. He watched her as they walked. Her eyes never left the ground. She had only been gone a day and a half. He desperately wanted to know what had happened. They finally reached the edge of the forest and the village came into view. Inuyasha stopped and turned to face her.

"Kagome, what's wrong?"

She briefly glanced up at him before returning her gaze to the ground, "I — what do you mean? I didn't say anything."

"That's part of what I'm talking about. Normally, you won't STOP talking, and you always want to get back to Kaede's as soon as possible, not to mention the fact that you're back early, and that never happens."

"Well, if you didn't want me to…"

"That's not what I meant and you know it," he reached up to her face again, trying to get her to look at him, but when his finger touched her chin, she flinched and looked away. "This is what I'm talking about. You didn't just come back early, you came back terrified. And other than this," he held up their entwined hands, "you won't let me touch you."

"I…um…i-it's nothing. I…um…just had a nightmare last night."

He narrowed his eyes at her. She was lying again, and now she was desperately trying to avoid looking him in the eyes, "Kagome, you smell different."

He knew he had shocked her; her eyes were now fixed upon his, and horror was seeping out of them. Something had happened to her, and she did not want him to find out what it was. She had probably gone so far as to wash it off of her.

"N-no I don't."

Now it was his turn to be shocked. He had caught her in her lie. She knew that; he could see it in her face, and yet, she still denied him. Why wouldn't she tell him? Did she still not trust him to protect her? He sighed and decided to let the point pass for the moment. Maybe she just wasn't ready to talk about it now. He hoped she would feel better in the morning.

There we are. As always, please R&R! Stay tuned for chapter 6: Dreams. :)


	7. HeheUmHi?

Ok, guys. So I think that it's more than safe to say that I'm not going to be finishing Soiled. Believe me, it's not for lack of trying. I can't count how many times I've tried to continue this thing. All it's given me is a trash can full of crumpled up crap. ^_^ I'm finally admitting that I've lost all inspiration for this story. I feel horrible for leaving you guys hanging – as well as abandoning my first baby. One lesson I did learn from this is to finish a story completely before posting even a preface. After Soiled, I started writing all of my stories, beginning to finish, out on paper before typing even one single word. That way, this never happens again.

I don't feel right leaving this up here as is, but I don't want to take it down either, so I'm proposing this: I'm offering it up to you guys. If there is anyone out there who thinks they might want to pick up this story and run with it, just send me an outline about where you plan on taking it, and maybe a few samples of scenes you have in mind. Remember, even though I've lost it, Soiled is still my baby, so I'd like any continuance of it to be as seamless as possible. If you'd like to continue this story, send me a pm, and I'll give you an email address where you can send the outline and samples. I'll let the contest run for 30 days before I pick a winner. I'll keep a countdown, where I'll update every 10 days, and individually count down the last five. Good luck to everyone!!

Soiled Continuance Contest begins NOW!! (4/2/09)

**30** Days Left!

**Edit**

Contest is officially over. A winner was chosen, and has now put up her first chapter. I've read it, and am so happy with how it turned out. I encourage all of you to go check it out. Go here to read the next chapter in Soiled! ^_^


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